AZ, Nobody is off track. The forming of this group is " not " just about litter, there are many other things to be addressed as pointed out in the brochure Ron has suggested. The handout explains our group and what we are about and trying to acheive. There is nothing in what Ron has proposed that attempts to " justify " what we are doing. Concerning nudity at the DCHS. The sheriffs position is that they veiw it as a violation of state laws and they will ticket or arrest people they may come across in these areas at and around DCHS. Barry Nelson's ( BLM officer ) position is that he feels the same way as the sheriffs. The BLM can make citation or arrest in Forest Service lands since they have a cross territory agreement with the USFS concerning law enforcement. Barry told me that he doesn't think its proper for the Forest Service to ignore the state laws on nudity for the DCHS area. If a person at DCHS wanted to make a complaint to the Child Protective Services about seeing a family with adults being nude in front of thier minor children this family could very likely find themselves in deep trouble. The Forest Service's policy of saying that nudity is accepted practice at DCHS and surrounding area, is not a consideration in regards to these other agencies. DCHS is " not " a designated clothing optional area and does not have the protections that an official area would have. The other agencies, as I have found with my conversation with them, do not approve of the clothing optional situation down at DCHS. In any handout we develop this subject is important to touch on since many people seek DCHS as a place to go without clothes and may assume, as I did, that the Forest Service policy was a protection and the only policy to consider when going nude in thier lands. I was in Forest Service lands the night I was confronted by the sheriffs and did as the Forest Service suggested, to dress without complaint and I was just real lucky that I happened to know one of the search and rescue personel, otherwise I would have had a real ugly situation with the sheriffs and the Child Protective Services. I have no doubt that practically all of the visitors are completely unaware that this is a possibility given the right circumstance. I'm sure these people would want to know what the " real " situation regarding nudity and the laws are for DCHS. The fact is AZ that just as people are " allowed " to go nude at DCHS, they are also " allowed " to hike nude in Forest Service lands by this Forest Service " accepted practice " policy as they call it. There are no " safe zones " when it comes to these other agencies. These other agencies beleive that the state laws should be enforced in these Forest Service areas, including at DCHS, thats it in thier veiw, no exceptions. The DCHS area has been " generally " left alone because as the man at the Sheriffs dept stated " they have bigger fish to fry ". If you do run into an agency other than the Forest Service at and around DCHS, it does not matter if you dress without complaint or not. You are seen by these agencies as having violated state laws by being nude.
